Associate Professor Carol Hayes

In the Japanese Digital Story, "Ten Cups of Green Tea and Me," a student describes the shock of that first taste of the bitter green sencha she was served on her first night in Japan. To the amusement of her host family, she felt pressured to say it was delicious even though she could barely swallow, and was greatly relieved when they told her, "Even we Japanese don't like it much." This student skilfully harnessed humour, visual cues and voice narrative to tell the story of her developing love of green tea, creating a metaphor for her deepening relationship with Japan.

Associate Professor Carol Hayes has been a leader across the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University and an early adopter of new digital technologies to enhance student learning outcomes. This digital story project is just one example of her holistic student-focused approach to teaching and innovative use of technology, and is indicative of the way her teaching invigorates students to new learning outcomes. Carol's sustained commitment to education was recognised with an 2012 ANU College of Asia and the Pacific Award for Excellence in Innovation, a 2013 ANU Vice-Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence, and a 2013 AAUT Award for Teaching Excellence.